Navalny, Limonov, Demushkin released from police stations

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, March 6 (Itar-Tass) — Well-known Internet blogger Alexei Navalny who was detained after a rally in Pushkin Square in Moscow on Monday evening, was released from a police station on Tuesday.

Earlier, police released leader of the Other Russia movement Eduard Limonov and a nationalist leader Dmitry Demushkin who intended to stage an unsanctioned rally near the Central Election Commission (CEC) building. They were detained in Lubyanka Square on Monday evening

Navalny, Limonov and Demushkin are charged under the RF Administrative Code article “violation of the order of organising a rally, demonstration, march or picketing,” which entails the maximum penalty - a fine of 2,000 roubles.

At the exit from the police station Navalny told reporters who were awaiting for him that he intended to immediately go to the Preobrazhenskoye police station in order to support a number of other detainees after Monday’s opposition protest action in the RF capital.

The blogger also expressed confidence that the opposition will yet hold mass protest actions, and “thousands and tens of thousands will take to the streets of Moscow and other cities and refuse to leave.” “We will be doing this until we win,” Navalny said.

The oppositionists were arrested in Pushkin Square on Monday evening. An authorise rally “for fair elections” ended there at 21:00 MSK.

A total of about 250 people were detained. The RF Interior Ministry’s main department for Moscow reported on Tuesday that they are charged with “staging unauthorised actions and provocations, as well as defiance of the lawful demands of the police.”

The city’s police department said that after the sanctioned mass gathering in Pushkin Square police officers warned the rally participants that they should disperse. However, several dozen people refused to comply with the lawful requirements, attempted to break through, resisted the police, tried to block motor traffic.

All the detainees were taken to police stations for the procedure of registration of their actions and making decisions on bringing them to administrative liability in accordance with the law.

“The Moscow police forces responded to the violations promptly and in full accordance with the powers defined by law and took measures to prevent negative developments and the aggravation of the situation,” the city police stressed.